Reicher & Haslam (2006)

1. Reicher & Haslam (2006)

2. Aims and Objectives • Aim: To complete Piliavin’s study and to make a start on Reicher and Haslam. • All students will be able to list 3 Advantages and 3 Disadvantages of Piliavins study. • Most students will know what happened on each day of the Reicher and Haslam study. • Some students will be able to identify the IV and DV for this study.

3. What is this study about? • This experiment is closely linked to the Stanford Prison Experiment (SPE) by Zimbardo. Page 5 • Zimbardo’s experiment aimed to uncover the reasons for the antisocial behaviour commonly found inside prisons. • The experiment had to be stopped after only 6 days due to them participant’s severe reactions.

4. What is this study about? • The researchers main conclusions from the SPE was that the prison situation (the uniforms, status, the physical environment, together with the allocation of social roles) caused the inmates and guards to act in pathological ways. Pathological – A behaviour that is unusual and interferes with everyday life

5. What is this study about? • Concluding that the prison situation was why the participants acted in pathological ways is a deterministic view of behaviour. • This view would state that people can be excused for their actions by blaming the situation they are in.

6. Recent example... • In 2004 abuse of prisoners by American Military personnel held in the Baghdad Correctional Facility in Iraq came to public attention. • Zimbardo might have suggested that these events were inevitable, given the uniforms and unequal distributions of power between the prisoners and their captors. • Why did the guards act in this way? • Do you think the guards were inherently evil (personality) • What situational factors may have caused their behaviour?

7. Reicher & Haslam • Reicher & Haslam wanted to test the situational hypothesis proposed by Zimbardo: the idea that a situation could have such a powerful influence over a person’s behaviour. • Reicher & Haslam wanted to get away from the idea that people had no control over their behaviour. • They wanted to show that group membership has a more powerful influence over an individuals behaviour, specifically the extent to which a person identifies with the group, or the power of group membership.

8. Reicher & Haslam • They were also interested in the conditions that can lead to changes in the behaviour of a group, including the effect of a new member. • An example of this could be a successful footballer joining a bottom-of-the-league team where morale was low...would this energise them? Make them hope they could move up the league?

9. Reicher & Haslam • Discussion – • Write down a list of the different groups you belong to. • Write down a list of the different social groups you see around college and how you would define them.

10. Participants • Recruited by adverts in national press • Screened e.g. well adjusted and pro-social • fully assessed over a weekend • Provided medical and character references • 332 applicants reduced to 27 men

11. Participants • 15 chosen to represent diversity in age, class and ethnicity • Matched on personality variables into 5 groups of 3 • 1 from each group allocated as guard and other 2 as prisoners – thus • 5 guards and 10 prisoners

12. Guards • The evening prior to study the 5 guards were told they had been selected as Guards. • Shown prison timetables, informed about duties, roll calls and their responsibility to ‘ensure institution runs smoothly’ • Asked to draw up the rules and to suggest punishments • TOLD NO PHYSICAL VIOLENCE ALLOWED • Taken to prison in van with blacked out windows

13. Guards Guard situation: • Superior accommodation • Good quality uniform • Superior meals • Keys to all doors & punishment cell • Access to guard station with surveillance system which could view all cells • Resources - sweets & cigarettes to give rewards

14. Prisoners • Arrived in Blacked out cars • Arrived One by One • Made to shower • Had to hand over all personal clothes, watches and valuables • Hair was shaved • Locked into a small 3-man cell.

15. Prisoners Prisoner situation: • Uniform of T shirt having 3 digit number, loose trousers & sandals • Told nothing - but NO VIOLENCE allowed • List of rules & ‘prisoner rights’ posted on cell wall

16. IV • Permeability of roles • Prisoners & guards were told guards were selected on basis on reliability, trustworthiness and initiative BUT that the test was not perfect and that guards would have to watch out for prisoners who showed ‘guard like’ qualities - that promotion was possible on day 3. Thus all believed movement between groups was possible

17. IV • Legitimacy of roles • It was planned that on day 3 prisoners would be told that there were really no differences between prisoners & guards, but that it was impractical to reassign roles so the groups would stay the same. This would lead to the perception that group differences were not legitimate

18. IV • Cognitive alternatives • On the 4th day, a new prisoner, chosen because of his background as a Trade Union official, was introduced. It was expected that he would provide the skills required to organise ‘collective action’

19. DV What was measured? • video & audio recording of behaviour • daily psychometric testing for • social variables e.g. social identification • organisational variables e.g. compliance with rules • clinical variables e.g. depression & self-efficacy • cortisol levels (saliva) as indicator of stress

20. Ethical Safeguards • Two Independent Psychologists were present or on call 24 hours a day. They had the power to intervene or remove anyone from the study if they thought they were in distress. • Paramedics and Security Guards were on hand to intervene at a moments notice. • The study was constantly monitored by members of a five-person independent ethics panel. They had to power to change to study and terminate it if they had ethical concerns.

21. Video Clips • www.bbcprisonstudy.org/